The present invention relates to golf club heads and, in particular, to improved golf club heads having a plurality of vertical grooves, preferably with "frequency-matched" ball striking face configurations.
Conventional golf clubs, such as woods and irons, as well as putters, have been provided with grooves forming land areas and other shaped indentations, on the ball striking face, in order to control the spin and direction, as well as the feel, of a golf ball being struck by the particular golf club. Most iron and wood type clubs have used horizontal groove configurations in a heel-to-toe direction in a pattern of U-shaped or V-shaped grooves. U-shaped grooves have two opposing surfaces, each at 90.degree. to the ball striking face. V-shaped grooves are angled to form a V-configuration with respect to the ball striking face.
Prior art configurations of interest are shown in a number of U.S. Patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,505 to Stuff shows a golf putter club head with wide vertical grooves on the ball striking face extending from the top ridge to the bottom surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,450 to Stuff shows, in FIGS. 7 and 8, a putter having a groove configuration wherein the grooves generally converge toward the longitudinal center of the club head in the direction of the top surface and diverge away from the longitudinal center of the club head in the direction of the sole surface.
British Patent No. 25564, 1905, shows a putter type golf club head with vertical grooves which extend all the way from the bottom sole to the top surface of the ball striking face.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,034,936 to Barnhart shows, in FIG. 9, a golf club having a plurality of transverse slots which extend completely through the club head from the front to the rear side.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,854,548 to Hunt shows a golf club head with vertical grooves on the rear and extending through the club head. U.S. Pat. No. 1,289,533 to Sanders shows an iron type golf club head with a horizontal raised groove, which is sawtooth or triangular in cross-section.
Another patent of interest is U.S. Pat. No. 1,532,545 to Peterson, which shows a curved ball striking face with a sawtooth groove configuration.
U.S. Design Pat. No. 63,284 to Challis shows a putter configuration including horizontal and vertical grooves, which form series of square or rectangular land areas on the ball striking face.
Still another prior art ball striking face structure is disclosed in the September 1998 issue of GOLF MAGAZINE, page 94 which describes a putter with a series of nubs which project outwardly from the putter face to grip a golf ball when it is struck by the putter to impart a softer feel to the golfer's hands.
In addition to groove configurations, many putter faces are currently made with face inserts of various materials, which are softer and provide a solid feel and an improved responsive sensation when putting a golf ball. However, such putters are generally more complex to produce and, consequently, are more expensive than standard conventional putters. Also, the ball striking faces of many currently marketed iron and metalwood type club heads include face inserts made of a variety of materials, other than the "basic" single stainless steel material used to produce the main club heads. Such face insert materials include titanium, beryllium copper, zirconium, nickel, bronze, manganese, and a variety of other blended alloy materials suitable for golf clubs.
The primary purpose of some of the prior art club face configurations are directed mainly to "imparting corrective or specific action to a golf ball", or "achieving a variety of different actions to a golf ball struck by the face". Some rely on plurality of grooves "extending along the face in non-parallel directions or with pads or both." Also they include "means for imparting a desired action along the club face" having a resilience greater than the material used to produce the club head.
The entire golf industry has moved rapidly into hi-tech to market their respective products that are better designed to dramatically improve the golfing skills and enjoyment for all golfers. For example, golf club shaft makers have expanded the use of frequency-matched shaft technology that offer a variety of flexing, rigidness and recovery characteristics, that best suit each golfer, regardless of age, gender or physical abilities. The frequency-matched technology for golf club shafts creates shafts that produce better feel, increased accuracy and distance, less vibration and undesirable shocks.
Also the ongoing fierce competition in the golf ball industry compels the golf ball manufacturers to perpetually utilize the most sophisticated new component materials and availability of hi-tech equipment improvements, with their latest new technology in making golf balls that are best suited for each class of golfers and conform to the rules of golf. The combinations of components, such as the various types and sizes of inner cores, are frequency-matched to the various types of outer coverings, such as Balata, Surlyn and other materials, specifically blended to provide the best performing balls, most suitable for each caliber of golfer.
The leading golf ball manufacturers have been concentrating on producing a new breed of balls. Their advanced technology is producing balls with different types of cores, combined with variety of outer cover materials, having combinations of aerodynamic dimple designs. The dimples in the outer-ball covers include a variety of different shapes and sizes, and have been combined to produce a particular ball-cover design, specifically to greatly increase ball-flight control and accuracy. (This improvement alone has increased the overall performances of at least five golf balls with different compression ranges [70 to 100+]). Just as important, are the substantial improvements that have been made to the basic inner cores of the balls. Generally, the cores are round spheres made from steel, Titanium, solid rubber, rubber wound or other fluid-filled contained means. These are used to produce 3-piece wound Balata balls, 2-piece Surlyn cover balls and even 1-piece solid-core-and-cover golf balls. All of these advanced hi-tech improvements have been combined to dramatically increase their respective distances and overall performances . . . they offer a better, more desirable, audible harmonic and sensual feedback that produces the preferred "click" and enhanced solid sensations. These are the preferred features that are felt even when stroking a putted ball or striking a ball, with high velocity swings using iron and metalwood club heads to reach greater distances.
The ongoing challenge that the golf ball industry constantly faces, is not only to make a better ball than their competitors, but also to make it within the rigid parameters to conform to the rules of golf as defined and established by the U.S.G.A.
Likewise, the vertical groove concept of the present invention, is uniquely adaptable and very practical for use on all golf club heads, particularly since all of the golf club heads can be fine-tuned by having various combinations of coordinated, precision, frequency-matched, ball striking club face configurations. The vertical grooves are formed with variable precisely sized widths and depths that are adjacent properly sized land areas, also having coordinated widths, to produce the preferred results for all caliber of golfers. The vertical groove concept, for fine-tuning the respective golf club heads, relies on various combinations of precisely sized and shaped frequency matched configurations on the ball striking club faces to create the preferred feel and sound and performance for club heads, such as putters, irons, and woods. For some embodiments, this can be accomplished without using a second material, such as face inserts.
Various musical instruments use strings and wires, such as violins, guitars, banjos, pianos, and so forth, to produce different sounds. They rely on the different thickness and length of their strings or wires to repeatedly produce the desired resonance and preferred harmonic qualities when properly used. The present invention preferably provides preferred resonance and harmonic qualities, for a particular club and its application.
The feather at the end of an arrow helps to stabilize the shaft by resisting twisting and minimizing other undesirable movements, upon release while airborne and traveling toward it target. Similarly, the borings in the barrel of a gun help to stabilize the bullet as it leaves the muzzle to propel it in a practically straight-line trajectory to its target.
There is some comparison between the behavior of an arrow and a bullet and the concept of the present invention. The vertical grooves on the club faces of the present invention have a beneficial effect on the ball and tends to generate a forward top spin traction producing a straight-line trajectory. Having only vertical groove face configurations, the vertical groove concept of this invention minimizes adverse direction such as exaggerated slicing or hooking and produces a low trajectory boring ball flight with top spin and increased distance. The ball also lands softly. This concept does not impart adverse spin like the prior art.
The club face configurations are created by an array of shorter vertical grooves and shorter vertical land areas, formed in a perpendicular direction to the ball striking face, rather than the much longer array of horizontal grooves formed on traditional golf club heads. In the preferred embodiments, the uniquely structured frequency-matched configurations formed on the ball striking faces utilize combinations of specifically predetermined dimensions, best suited for the isolated vertical land areas and or the coordinating adjacent vertical grooves. The various coordinated combinations of both, extend perpendicularly to the club face, but generally do not extend into or beyond the top or bottom outer surfaces of the club face.
The land located between the vertical grooves meet with longitudinal planar land areas, located adjacent the top ridge and bottom sole of the club head, together with the properly coordinated vertical grooves and surrounding land areas, to form a grid that produces preferred harmonic and resonant characteristics, such as a specific frequency when ball contact occurs on the club face.
The specifically designed structure of the preferred configurations on the club faces, closes-off both end-portions of the vertical grooves on the ball striking face of putters, irons and metalwood club heads. This "corralled" energy requirement as described below, is critical to obtaining and maintaining the most proficient and desired matching frequency of the club face to achieve the superior performance and success of the invention. In addition, the dynamic force transferred to the club face must be contained and controlled, even for fractions of a second, to minimize and prevent the energy available from being totally dissipated, when ball contact occurs. It is paramount to trap and harness as much energy, at the moment of ball impact and at the precise point on the club face, where ball contact is made. This will permit a greater amount of energy created to be retained and be immediately available and transmittable, directly to the ball, upon contact. Since the shorter combination of various precision sized vertical grooves effectively isolates the variably-sized and coordinated vertical land areas on the club face, this concept permits the unique frequency-matched club face configurations to produce the unusual feel and preferred harmonics resulting in the superior performances for all golf club heads with this invention.
This invention relies on test data, accumulated from successfully applied extensive research and development knowledge, experimentation and relentless testing, to produce the impressive and formidable results in the present invention.
The extraordinary performance of the frequency-matched vertical grooves concept for club faces of all golf club heads, is supported by one of nature's phenomena that involve the laws of physics and dynamics. This is revealed and visually established in a very simple related demonstration of nature's phenomena.
When a pebble or golf ball lands in a pond of water, it instantly produces a rippling effect on the surface. A pattern of concentric circles or rings are formed immediately upon the pebble or ball striking the water's surface. This clearly demonstrates that the energy level of the force at impact is evenly distributed, mostly laterally, and radiating outwardly in a 360.degree. direction at the water's surface, dissipating as the force or energy level diminishes equally in every direction. This phenomenon of nature also reveals other startling facts. The concentric ripples are symmetrically shaped, evenly spaced, and their outward flowing-pace is even controlled so that no ripple overtakes another. This phenomenon of one of nature's wonders never deviates from its repeating, precisely-regulated performance, no matter where or how often it occurs. This display of the laws of dynamics indicates that a given force, at impact, is evenly distributed, unimpeded, in all directions, but predominantly along a smooth or planar surface. These revealing facts relating to the laws of dynamics, along with the "fire break" or "fire gap" proven techniques used by professional firefighters to fight devastating forest fires, are combined to create the novel and practical concept of the disclosed invention, uniquely applicable for producing completely new types of frequency-matched club faces on all types of golf club heads.
The first prototype club heads tested established superior, different breed of high-performing club heads for all caliber of golfers. It was determined that variable sized vertical grooves on the club faces of the high-velocity swung iron club heads, will impart little, if any, backspin to the ball, like the horizontal grooves on traditional golf club heads. However, the ball has a slightly lower initial trajectory and yet farther carry, when struck by club heads of the present invention with vertical grooves. This is due to minimal, if any, backspin that can be produced by the traditional horizontal grooves. On the other hand, with the lower flight pattern of golf balls struck with frequency-matched club faces having vertical grooves, the ball landed softer and with increased stop action, on the green, but without the unpredictable effect from the degree of backspin produced by horizontal grooves.
The configuration of vertical grooves on club faces not only dramatically improves the feel and responsiveness, but also substantially reduces the negative effects from shocks and vibrations and other adverse results from mis-hits, thin shots and fat shots, particularly when ground contact occurs behind the ball. With the present invention, balls track straighter and go farther, especially against strong headwinds or unmanageable severe crosswinds.
Mis-hits, on club faces with horizontal grooves, can cause diverse shock waves and vibrations to be much more noticeable. This occurs because the shock waves and vibrations travel laterally along the recessed channels, formed by the elongated horizontal grooves on the club faces of traditional club heads, directly to the hosel, up the shaft, and to the gripping hands of the golfer.
These undesirable effects are practically eliminated when using club heads with the shorter vertical grooves of the present invention on their faces. The specifically designed vertical grooves and coordinated land areas act as buffers, impeding and effectively restricting the adverse shock waves and vibrations from moving laterally, as they do in the horizontal grooves of traditional golf club heads. Consequently, any force or energy distributed from the club face at impact, will tend to travel only the shorter distance upwardly and downwardly through the vertical grooves at the impact zone. This concept effectively alters and/or eliminates any of the harsh forces incurred at impact, that travel horizontally to, and up through, the hosel and up the shaft to the gripping hands of traditionally-used clubs.
Also, there is a more noticeable, much softer feel when impacting different quality balls, regardless if they are the softer covered Balata balls or the harder covered Surlyn balls. Golf balls fly straighter and farther when struck by iron or wood type club heads having such club faces with vertical grooves. Balls hit with club faces having frequency-matched vertical grooves have a more consistent flight pattern and trajectory, whereby ballooning is reduced considerably, if not eliminated. Furthermore landing is softer, especially on greens, with minimum forward movement and, of course, with practically no backspin. Also, making ball contact towards the toe or heel portions of the club faces with such vertical grooves, does not severely penalize the shot; rather the ball stays in play with minimum or no loss of distance.